Cleaning up Marie Stopes’ mess

Recently there have been several stories about Marie Stopes’ patients requiring medical aftercare to save women’s lives, some have died before that care was recieved. Their answer to that problem? The organization is urging these women’s home countries to clean up their mess.

WOMEN returning to Ireland after having abortions in the UK put their lives at risk by not seeking adequate aftercare, according to a leading figure at Marie Stopes International.

On Saturday, the General Medical Council struck off Dr Phanuel Dartey after he carried out botched procedures on a number of women, including an Irish patient who became seriously ill after returning home in 2006.

The Ghanaian doctor who worked at the Marie StopesInternational clinic in Ealing, West London, left parts of the foetus inside the Irish patient, which led to her suffering a perforated uterus.

The Marie Stopes clinics, which carry out about 2,700 terminations for Irish women each year, said the case involving Dr Dartey was an “isolated incident” and Tracie McNeill, the group’s international vice president, said one of their main concerns as a healthcare services provider involved Irish patients returning home.

“We are worried that many Irish women are not visiting their GPs to receive any aftercare help.

“Many are too embarrassed and ashamed to tell their own doctors about their termination and it’s not uncommon to hear of some who’ve become ill after going back.